Enharmonic
by tsukikitty
Summary: Enharmonic -adj.-: Of, relating to, or involving tones that are identical in pitch but are written differently according to the key in which they occur. Neku and Rhyme, romance if you squint. Rated "T" just for Neku's swearing, haha. Completed, for real!


I can't decide if I want this to multi-chapter or not. :/ For now, I guess it's finished, but if something comes to me later I'll add on to it...

Anyway, a NekuxRhyme fic?! What the hell, lol? I'm pretty sure it was inspired by FlikFreak's "Soft", which I read for the first time last night. So, thanks, I guess!

*EDIT: I added onto it. C: It's much more finished-feeling, now, I think, and I'm decently satisfied with it. I hope it turned out well!

Disclaimer: TWEWY is not of my possession. No, it's not.

.

Enharmonic

.

Neku gently bobbed his head to the beat of his music as he once again browsed the CDs at Cyco Records. Despite the selection not changing day-to-day, he still found himself returning everyday to check it out. As he approached the "S" section, a certain artist caught his eye. However, it apparently caught someone else's, too: As he reached out to grab the CD, his hand quite nearly crashed into another.

"Ah, I'm sorry..."

He looked up - that voice was familiar - to see a small blonde girl standing beside him, wearing a black knit hat with a skull pin attached to it.

"Oh, Rhyme," he said, lowering his headphones so that they hung around his neck, "I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I didn't notice you, either. How are you?"

"Meh, pretty good. You?"

Rhyme glanced back over at the CD that they had been reaching for. "Good... Neku, are you into SAWA, too?"

"Oh, yeah. They're kinda new, but from what I've heard they're definitely pretty awesome..."

It was funny... He had never really thought of Rhyme as being into music, let alone the same music that he was into.

"What else do you listen to, Neku?"

"Huh? Oh, a bunch of stuff... Actually, I'm pretty big on this American artist, Cameron Strother, right now..."

"Oh, really? I love him! His new single just came out, right?"

Before long, the two were deep into an animated conversation about all things music. Neku was actually enjoying himself, despite the fact that talking wasn't really his thing. However, on a subject that he liked? That kid could go on forever...

"Oh, man," Rhyme gasped after a while, glancing at the clock behind Neku, "I've gotta run! Beat'll freak if I'm late again..." She grabbed the CD that they had been vying for earlier and smiled cheerily at her companion. "See you later, Neku! It was nice running into you. We should talk music again sometime!"

Neku nodded and returned the smile. "Yeah, definitely. Later!"

Rhyme waved as she turned and made her way to the counter. Looking back to the CDs in front of him, Neku frowned a little. "Damn," he muttered, "she took the last one!" After a second, though, he found himself smiling again. Oddly enough, he didn't really mind...

-

A few days passed, and Neku was sitting yet again in Udagawa, headphones slung lazily around his neck, sketchbook on his knees. His hand was cocked just slightly to the side, laying against the paper as if he was about to draw something. His pencil was resting readily between his relaxed fingers, and his eyes were closed. Sitting there, leaning against CAT's colorful mural, he just looked so incredibly calm.

Suddenly, his eyelids shot up and he prepared to look around as the soft sound of footsteps reached his ears. However, he didn't need to; The cause of the noise was standing just a few feet away from him.

"Hey, Neku! I didn't wake you up, did I?"

Neku lightly shook his head and set his sketchbook on the ground. "Nah, I was just thinking..." He stretched his arms out as Rhyme walked up to him. He watched her carefully as she approached. It may have been just him, but he thought she didn't seem as cheery as she usually did. Despite her seemingly carefree smile, something just seemed off... Not to mention the fact that she still had her school things with her and hadn't yet changed out of her uniform.

"You draw?"

"Oh, yeah. Not anything spectacular, but I sketch and stuff."

"Would you mind if I took a look?"

"Go for it."

Rhyme set her school bag down against the wall and picked up the sketchbook, gently settling herself next to Neku. The latter continued to watch her as she opened to the first page. The feeling that he had been getting from her before had dispersed for now, and her face seemed to light up as she explored his sketches. _'Weird,'_ he shrugged, turning back to face forward again.

"Wow... Neku, these are really good! I had no idea that you drew like this."

"Oh, thanks. It's just... an outlet, you know? It's nice to get away from everything once in a while."

"Yeah..." Rhyme's tone saddened considerably, and Neku turned to look at her again. She had directed her gaze toward the ground, now, and the off feeling was back with a vengeance.

"... Hey, you okay?"

Rhyme shook her head in a way that suggested he not worry, but before she could voice it Neku was cutting her off. "And don't lie to me just because you don't want me to worry. That won't do anything."

After a moment, Rhyme let out a small sigh and leaned back against the wall. "... Alright. Well... it's just..." She fidgeted a little, then hugged her knees to her chest and occupied her hands with anxiously twirling her fingers together.

"Beat and our parents have been arguing a lot lately... I mean, more than they usually do." She sighed again and rested her chin on her knees. "I... I want to help, I really do, but I just... I needed to get away, you know?" She forced a half-hearted smile in Neku's direction, and he couldn't help but just stare at her. He had no idea that they had such family troubles... Sure, he figured that Beat probably got reprimanded a lot for being, well, _Beat_, but he hadn't known that it was this bad. And yet, here Rhyme was, trying her best to smile and make the best of things. She must have come here straight from school, just to clear her mind.

"... I'm sorry," he muttered, not really knowing what else to say.

She smiled weakly again, shaking her head gently. "It's okay. Nothing for you to be sorry about."

But it _was_. He knew what it was like. He knew that feeling, that feeling like you just had to get away from things or you would just crumble. He knew it all too well, and right now he really _did_ feel sorry for her, and he wanted to help. How he was going to go about that he didn't really know, but it was worth trying. After all, she'd been there for him that first week, and she was still there even now, after it was all over.

"... You shouldn't have to deal with that. You don't deserve it."

Rhyme looked up at him with slight surprise as he continued.

"I don't wanna be... like... intrusive or anything, but if there's anything I can do to help..." He trailed off and turned to face her with a surprisingly determined expression on his face. His eyes were locked onto her own, and she almost felt a shiver run down her spine at the sheer insight of their azure depths.

"I... Thanks. That means a lot." She began to crack a smile, but before she knew it a tear was forming in her eye. "Ah..." She hastily wiped it away before it could roll down her cheek, but her tear ducts were already way ahead of her and soon her vision was completely blurred by the salty water.

"Ah... I'm sorry..."

"Nothing for _you_ to be sorry about."

He pushed himself off of the ground and offered Rhyme an outstretched hand. She took it and stood up, as well, still rubbing at her eyes furiously with her other hand. She was ready to just grab her bag, thank Neku again, and walk away, not wanting to further bother him with her own troubles, but she was stopped mid-thought as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her.

It was a bit awkward at first, but they both eventually settled into it, and after a few moments of initial shock Rhyme allowed her head to rest on his shirt. She stopped trying to wipe away her tears, and she stopped trying to seem like it was no big deal. Neku's simple little hug had broken down all of her defenses, and she just let herself cry on his unsought shoulder. And he let her; He stood there and silently accepted her tears and gently rubbed her back and _let_ her.

After a while, the two broke apart. Neku still held her shoulders as she lightly dabbed away the remaining moisture from her cheeks and eyes.

"Neku..." she began, returning her glistening gaze to meet his, "Thank you so much... I really needed that."

"No problem." He offered a benevolent smile in her direction, and she gladly replied with a beaming one of her own. She had never seen this side of Neku before - at least, not to this extent - and she was so happy that she had gotten to experience it. Beneath his slightly withdrawn exterior, he had a heart full of understanding and helpfulness that she might never had known.

Rhyme walked over and picked up her bag. There was a distinctly more positive air about her than there had been before, and it was somewhat refreshing.

"So... where are you gonna go now?"

"Mmm... to Molco, I think. I... I'd like to stay out a bit longer. I'll go back before too long, but... not just yet." She smiled and slung the bag over her shoulder. Neku paused for a moment before speaking again.

"... You... want some company?"

Rhyme was a bit surprised, but it quickly melded into a beaming smile. "Sure!"

Neku gathered up his things and shoved them into his own bag. The two then began walking off through the quiet city backstreets, smiling and talking with each other. Neku found himself feeling incredibly glad that he had been there that day, there for Rhyme to confide in and cry on and smile with. As they passed by Cyco Records, he suddenly remembered that he was going to stop by again to see the new stock that had come in. However, he simply continued smiling and pushed the thought from his mind. He didn't really feel like going anymore. Besides, quite frankly?

This was way more important, anyway.

.

Ready? Group "DAAAWWWW!" Haha.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, as always. :)


End file.
